Surgical staples are well known in the surgical arts. These staples have been widely used by surgeons to approximate incisions and wounds. Surgical staples have proven to be a useful alternative available to the medical practitioner in lieu of conventional sutures.
Surgical staples are often used in various surgical procedures. For example, when performing a surgical procedure to repair an inguinal hernia, one common technique is to affix a biocompatible surgical mesh over the site of the inguinal hernia. This is typically done by stapling the surgical mesh to the tissue and muscle surrounding the site of the hernia. The staples used in this procedure are, typically, conventional metal staples made from stainless steel, titanium, tantalum, or the like. There are several disadvantages associated with the use of metal staples in such a procedure. One obvious disadvantage is that the metal staples may remain inside of the patient indefinitely. In addition, it is not uncommon for a nerve to be entrapped and compressed by a metal staple. It is believed that this may cause residual pain in the patient. In order to alleviate such pain, a subsequent operation may be required to remove and/or replace the staples. Another disadvantage of conventional staples is that the holding power of such conventional staples is limited by the size of the staple wire and the stiffness and mechanical properties of the material. A larger and/or stiffer metal staple is harder to bend around an anvil of a conventional surgical apparatus, and therefore limited in its strength. In some cases conventional metal staples may pull out of tissue because they are not strong or large enough.
The use of absorbable staples may help to overcome these problems and eliminate the need for additional surgery since, for example, an absorbable staple would absorb over time, thereby relieving any pressure upon a compressed nerve. Although absorbable staples are known in this art, such staples typically require access to both sides of a tissue site since they typically consist of an upper section having a crown and legs and a lower receiver. The lower receiver engages and locks the legs of the staple. Therefore, the absorbable staples known in the art are typically not usable in surgical procedures such as repair of an inguinal hernia where there is only access to one side of the tissue. Another type of absorbable staple which does not require a lower receiver is a three-piece staple described in commonly assigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 146,755 filed on Nov. 2, 1993 which is incorporated by reference.
There is a need in this art for surgical fastening devices which do not require a second separate piece or receiver to lock or maintain the fastener in place in tissue, which can be applied and secured from one side of a tissue site in an endoscopic or open surgical procedure, and which overcomes the disadvantages associated with conventional surgical staples.